These 7 Common Speaking Habits Undercut Your Credibility as A Speaker

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These 7 Common Speaking Habits Undercut Your Credibility as A Speaker


These 7 Common Speaking Habits Undercut Your Credibility as A Speaker

These 7 Common Speaking Habits Undercut Your Credibility as A Speaker

Being a speaker can seem a simple task as you only have to convey the message. In reality, it is not just limited to conveying the message. If the audience is skeptical about taking you seriously during the whole speech, your time at the dais has no value. There are many aspects of your body language or behavior which can set the audience’s skepticism off and make them think twice before trusting what you say. In this article, we will discuss some behavioral issues which can create a problem for you as a speaker.

Over smiling

Speakers are often told to smile while interacting with the audience. However, there is a certain limit to it and most of the speakers end up overdoing it. You should make sure not to continuously smile while on the dais. It should be spontaneous or more like a natural reaction to the message you are trying to convey. It can also be considered as a reaction to the feedback given by a member of the audience. Over smiling is often considered as plastic emotion or fake emotion and you should avoid it.

Too Much Energy

Energy is a very important aspect of every speaker. You should have faith in the message that you are presenting before the audience and it gets exhibited with the level of energy you have. However, the knee-jerk reactions, moving or talking too fast on the stage can hint at nervousness rather than enthusiasm. You should avoid showcasing too much energy and should be calm and content while delivering the message.

Winking

Winking in a professional setup is a big NO. When you wink, the message that you are conveying is that there might be something hidden “read between the lines” in your message. Just a simple wink during the speech which may look innocent or clever to you, can derail the whole audience from what you are conveying and might lead them to what you are not trying to mean at all.

Rapid Pacing and Stage Movements

A lot of speakers pace up a lot while talking to the audience. To add to that, while you are presenting on the stage, continuous movement of yours can distract the audience from concentrating on the message you are trying to drive home, and ending up just following your rapid movements from one direction to another. It is better to limit the movement to minimal and maintain an easy pace of your speech delivery.

Fidgeting

Many speakers touch their hair, jewelry, pen or something around to feel comfortable. It is one of the most common mechanisms to reduce stress / calm nerves. By doing so, you may feel comfortable on stage but the audience, might sense that you are under pressure or anxiety. It is advised to avoid fidgeting as much as possible.

Stoic Delivery

Too much energy can be a buzz-kill but what will happen if you showcase no or very little energy on the stage? You will look robotic or sound boring, which should be avoided at all levels. It is very important to strike a connection between you and the audience and under no circumstances, the audience should not feel that you are on the stage and only to go through the motions without any real interest in message you are trying to deliver.

Variable Pitch

According to the latest research, the “upspeak” ending to a speech is most desired by the audience as it will leave them pumped-up with energy which is totally a false interpretation. An overtly variable pitch at any given time in the speech can leave the audience distracted and overwhelmed which is not good for you at all.

The speaker should be calm and content all the time with the right amount of energy to make sure that the message he or she is conveying reaches to the audience. There are a lot of aspects in your personality that can make you a good or a bad speaker. By working on the few wrong habits, you can turn yourself into a good speaker.